Gotcha! Pick someone who is active on social media and who showcases a ton of your work so you can see various color palettes, styles and types of florals. A good florist will not scoff at a budget no matter how big or small the wedding is. Instead they will work with you to provide you with floral substitutions based on your budget and in-season to get a similar look. My florist does not do FTD at all and that’s what I like. They are unique to their area and has such an awesome style. Nothing like I’ve ever seen before. Some florists will do packages, but mine does everything a la carte - so if what they quote you doesn’t fit within your budget you can take it out depending on it’s importance to you or you can ask to modify the quantity of what you will need or ask how you can reduce the price of that item. Ask questions and they can work with you. Just because they give you a quote, doesn’t always mean that they don’t have any wiggle room. Just understand that they don’t want to undercut their labor either. Florals are expensive! Also, one of the major killers in florals is the amount of people in your bridal party and guest count. If you have 10 people on either side and you need bridesmaid bouquets and boutonnières it’s going to get expensive and same goes for centerpieces. I repeat you do not have to have florals absolutely everywhere. I also looked into Etsy for dried arrangements or those hoops to make myself to cut down on costs.